EVENT LINK: https://plainsart.org/exhibitions/jaque-fragua/

FEE: Free

Ghost Writing

Fred Donath, Jr. Memorial Gallery

April 5, 2025 - March 15, 2026

Ghost Writing is a compelling, mid-career retrospective showcasing work by Jaque Fragua, a contemporary artist from Jemez Pueblo, New Mexico. Fragua works in a diverse array of media, including digital painting, sculpture, installation, and public art. His distinct style is characterized by bold colors and mark-making as well as thoughtful approach to appropriation.

EVENT LNK: https://plainsart.org/exhibitions/wiwahokichiyapi/

FEE: Free

Wíwahokičhiyapi

They Promised Things to Each Other

April 25, 2026 - February 7, 2026

Fred Donath, Jr. Memorial Gallery

Treaties are living documents that are “the supreme law of the land” and remain legally binding agreements that establish the political relationship between Native Nations and the United States government. These agreements have established land boundaries, resource rights, reservations; they determine Tribal Nation citizenship and outline mutual obligations. The Influence of treaties and the policies surrounding them has been profound, shaping both traditional and contemporary Indigenous art and ways of making. This exhibition explores how treaties continue to resonate through Native creativity and expression.

Wíwahokičhiyapi: They Promised Things to Each Other is an overview of treaties in this country with a focus on those that pertain to our region. This exhibition is developed in collaboration with the National Museum of the American Indian and the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service. Plains Art Museum partnered with Lakȟóta Archeologist Tyrel Iron Eyes and Giiwedinnong Treaty Museum’s Logan Monroe, Don Wendl, and Winona LaDuke. Our partners contributed research that informed and shaped the development of this exhibition.

EVENT LINK: https://plainsart.org/exhibitions/murray-lemley/

FEE: Free

Murray Lemley: Fifty Years of Photography and Design

The Ruth and Seymour Landfield Atrium, Xcel Energy Gallery, and Starion Bank Gallery

July 5, 2025 - January 4, 2026

Fifty Years of Photography and Design is a retrospective exhibition celebrating Murray Lemley’s artistic career.

EVENT LINK: https://www.hcscconline.org/gastronomy-art-quilts.html

FEE: Free Tuesday nights: 5:00pm - 8:00pm
Standard Rates
Adults (Ages 18-64): $12
Seniors (Ages 65+): $11
Youth (Ages 5-17): $8
Children (under 5): FREE
Discounted Rates
Time Travelers: $11
College Students: $9
Veterans: $5
HCSCC Members: FREE
ASCTC Members: FREE
Active Duty Military: FREE

Gastronomy - Art Quilts

October 4 - January 4, 2026

A traveling collection of 40 contemporary fine art quilts by artists from throughout the US, Canada, Switzerland, and Australia, this juried exhibit presents the finest in fiber arts craftsmanship. According to the Studio Art Quilts Associates, “Gastronomy is the study of the relationship between food and culture, featuring not only the bountiful gifts from nature, but a gift from the human hand. The art of preparing unique, delicate food is a tradition passed from generation to generation, around the world. Combining innovative ingredients, colors, textures, and flavors creates dishes pleasing to both the palette and the eye.” So too have the artists put together unique combinations that will delight and inspire the viewers. From a nearly-photo-quality rendering of a cabbage leaf to an abstract conception of a Cuban bistro, the artists stretch the boundaries of the imagination and challenge the traditional notion of what a quilt is. 

​This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through grants from the Lake Region Arts Council, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the Arts and Cultural Heritage fund; The Arts Partnership with support from the Cities of Fargo, Moorhead, and West Fargo; the Alex Stern Family Foundation; the Fargo-Moorhead Area Foundation, MN Quilters and F-M Quilters.

EVENT LINK: https://plainsart.org/exhibitions/women-artists/

FEE: Free

Women Artists: Four Centuries of Creativity

Jane L. Stern Gallery

November 1, 2025 - March 1, 2026

Plains Art Museum proudly presents Women Artists: Four Centuries of Creativity, a major exhibition running November 1, 2025 – March 1, 2026, that traces the resilience and innovation of women artists from the early modern period to the present. The exhibition features 40 works from the Museum’s Permanent Collection alongside 37 works on loan from the Reading Public Museum.

EVENT LINK: https://www.kaddatzgalleries.org/current-exhibitions.html

FEE: Free & Open to the Public

Kim Embretson: Holy Ground

On view in the StudioK Gallery
November 4 - December 30, 2025
Opening Reception
5-7PM Thursday, November 6, 2025

An excerpt from the Artists Statement in his own words:

Holy Ground

   “This rock and tree filled space
   was holy a million days before we came.”

This line from my father-in-law’s poem ”Holy Ground” about a family island on Rainy Lake, is the inspiration for my series of paintings. I have tried to answer the question:  How does land become holy? 

EVENT LINK: https://www.kaddatzgalleries.org/current-exhibitions.html

FEE: Free & Open to the Public

Material Mythos: A Duo Exhibition by Kandace Creel Falcón and Ilaamen Pelshaw

On View In Our Charles Beck Gallery
November 4 - December 30, 2025
Opening Reception
5-7PM Thursday, November 6, 2025

​Driven by color, shape, and memory, Kandace Creel Falcón and Ilaamen Pelshaw explore dreams, folktales, and the cultural realities that emerge from their childhoods in a Duo Show bringing paintings, quilts, and sculptures into conversation.

EVENT LINK: https://www.therourke.org/kathy-freese-take-and-leave.html

FEE: Free

Kathy Freese: Take and Leave

On view on the second level / November 7, 2025 - January 4, 2026
Member Preview: 6:30 to 8 p.m. Friday, November 7, 2025
Public Opening: 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Sunday, November 9, 2025 / Artist talk at 2 p.m.

Kathy Freese is a mixed media artist who lives and works in Fargo, North Dakota. She spends time working with clay, and on a variety of two-dimensional media projects, but is especially interested in working with textiles. You can find her teaching art techniques to children and adults in her community.

Members, please join us for the exclusive preview from 6:30 to 8 p.m. on Friday 7 November. Refreshments will be served. Everyone is welcome for the opening reception with complimentary coffee and cookies from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. on Sunday 9 November. Freese will give a gallery talk at 2 p.m.

Exhibition Statement for Take and Leave

I make art that addresses expectations around gender and labor. I reckon with my history and unpack traditions around womanhood, making lived experiences and familiar items a central influence in my artwork. Traditionally feminine shapes and colors appear in my sculpture to question assumptions about gendered experiences. I utilize clay, found objects, and sewing in my practice, favoring a mixed media approach.

Cleaning inequality and reproductive rights, subjects that can lead to tense arguments, are central topics I explore. I see how time is valued differently according to who it belongs to, and I observe how bodies are granted different levels of autonomy according to their appearance and circumstances. I use clean plush shapes and oversaturated colors to create touchable and friendly surfaces. The bright and shiny materials have an intrinsic draw that disarms the viewer, acting as an invitation to come closer, instead of shying away.

EVENT LINK: https://www.therourke.org/carl-oltvedt-a-quiet-life.html

FEE: Free

Carl Oltvedt: A Quiet Life: Echoes of the Natural World

On view in the Main Gallery from 21 November 2025 - 11 January 2026

Member Preview— 6:30 to 8 p.m. Friday 21 November 2025
Public Opening— 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Saturday 22 November 2025 / Oltvedt Gallery Talk at 2 p.m.    

Carl Oltvedt works full-time as an artist in a variety of painting and drawing media. He retired in May of 2015 from Minnesota State University Moorhead, where he was a Professor in the School of Visual Arts. He has exhibited his work in three prior solo exhibitions at The Rourke Art Gallery + Museum, as well as in several of the annual Midwestern Invitational Exhibitions of Fine Art hosted there. He has been represented by Groveland Gallery in Minneapolis since 1978.
​
His paintings and drawings are included in numerous public, corporate, and private collections, including The Rourke Art Gallery + Museum, the Plains Art Museum, the North Dakota Museum of Art, the Minneapolis Institute of Art, and the Minnesota Museum of American Art. He has completed commissions for corporations and private collectors including the Cargill Corporation, Securian Corporation, and the Laske family.  He was a recipient of Minnesota State Arts Board Artist Initiative Grants in 2014 and 1991, and a Lake Region Arts Council/McKnight Artist Fellowship in 2002.         

EVENT LINK: https://www.reddoorgallerywahpeton.com/exhibitions.html

FEE: Free & open to the public

Mino-Bimaadiziwin: The Good Life, Works by Ken Esty / Open Art Exhibition

December 2 - January 6, 2026

The Open Art Exhibition featuring Kent Estey’s show “Mino-Bimaadiziwin: The Good Life” is now on display until January 3rd!

Combined Artist Reception — Thursday, December 11th from 5-7PM!

EVENT LINK: https://www.kulcher.org

FEE: Free

A CIRCLE OF FRIENDS: A Tribute to Cheryl Bannes & Her Creative Community

DECEMBER 2 - DECEMBER 31
Artist Reception: Sat, Dec 13 @ 1-3pm.

The New York Mills Regional Cultural Center proudly announces Circle of Friends, a special gallery exhibition honoring the work of former Artistic Director Cheryl Bannes and some of the vibrant community of artists who have shared in and shaped her creative journey. The exhibition will be on display from December 2-31, 2025.

Featuring artwork by Kent Scheer, Sandra Daulton Shaughnessy, Dawn Rossbach, Laura Grisamore, Brad Wegscheid, and Cheryl Bannes, Circle of Friends presents a rich and varied collection of painting, mixed media, collage, metal work, and assemblage. Together, these works form an expressive visual conversation about collaboration, influence, and the deep connections that sustain artistic practice.

A public celebration honoring Bannes and her personal creative community will take place on Saturday, December 13, 2025, from 1–3 PM. Guests are invited to meet the artists, enjoy light refreshments, and experience the exhibition in a welcoming and festive atmosphere. 

The Cultural Center Gallery and Gallery Receptions are always FREE to see and open to ALL, thanks to the generous support of members, sponsors, and donors.

EVENT LINK: https://www.therourke.org/jonathan-rutter-fragile-things.html

FEE: Free

Jonathan Rutter: Fragile Things

On view in the East Gallery from 5 December 2025 - 26 January 2026

Member Preview
          6:30 to 8 p.m. Friday 5 December 2025
Public Opening
          1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Sunday 7 December 2025
               Artist Talk at 2 p.m. 

Jonathan Rutter is a painter, tinkerer, collector, arts administrator, designer, and curator living and maintaining a home studio in Moorhead, MN. He received his BA degree in Studio Art with an emphasis in Painting from Minnesota State University Moorhead and his MFA degree in Painting from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.

Artist Statement
            If I had the words to say it, I wouldn’t need to paint it . . . but I’ll try. In my practice, I spend a lot of time with my subjects and canvases—giving over my full, undivided attention. Allowing myself to become completely absorbed in the things I’m looking at is reflective, meditative, and pleasantly analytical, and helps me to appreciate just how wonderful and strange observable reality—and perception itself—truly is. Attending to the subtle color variations and scars on the skin of a pear, the impossibly fine tendrils of a plant, the light casting across a human figure or the tines of a fork, the exquisite sutures zigging across a monkey’s skull . . . all of these details and more speak to the unlikely journey of these subjects and how precious they are in their impermanence. Existence is weird, lovely, and fragile: look closer and take it in!

          --Jonathan Rutter, 2025